Welcome to 2023!
New Year, New Goals?
For many of us, the start of a new year brings about new hopes and aspirations for healthy habits and positive change. Chances are though, by February everything has gone down the drain!
We know that our health goals and resolutions are sometimes a little unrealistic and that it’s easy to fall off the bandwagon. In fact, an alarming statistic from Theresa Nutt from the University of Minnesota states up to 80% of New Year’s resolutions are unsuccessful.(1)
As nutritionists, we like to remind you that health doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it can be simple if you just keep the basics in mind. Optimising health is all about consistently implementing the foundations of health, and nourishing your body and mind to thrive daily.
And how do we do this? Read on to find out more!
Key Takeaways:
- Protein intake is crucial to maintain optimal health as it plays a key role in many physiological processes within the body.
- Supplementation with Clean Lean Protein is an ideal way to achieve protein targets when diet is not enough.
- Brand transparency, product quality and sustainability practices are key when it comes to choosing your protein powder.
Understanding Foundational Nutrition Basics
Let’s get back to the basics and talk macronutrients. These nutrients are the foundational fats, proteins and carbohydrates that provide our bodies with the energy it requires. In fact, they are essential components to sustain life (2), and are typically needed in large amounts. (3)
Now let’s zoom in even closer, to the most satiating essential nutrient, and one that is part of every cell in the body: protein.
Consuming adequate dietary protein is critical for maintaining optimal health, growth, development, and function throughout life (4). Being the most satiating nutrient, it can therefore help us avoid overeating without the need for counting calories. In fact, dietary protein plays a critical role in many physiological processes in the body. (5)
By prioritising protein and building our meals around this macronutrient, studies tell us that we can see improvements in overall diet quality. (6)
Research also tells us that increased protein intake (relative to other nutrients) has been shown to:
• Help the body to retain muscle and lose fat (7 8 9)
• Reduce blood pressure, improve blood lipids, and reduce fat stores (10 11)
• Reduce bone loss and improve the strength of bones as we age (12)
• Help the body to retain immunity and reduce infection by increasing glutamine intake. (13)
How much should we be aiming for in our diet?
Ideally, proteins should be consumed three times a day with a dose of around 25–30 g of high-quality, yet sustainable protein in each meal. (16)
Global recommendations for protein consumption, set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) state that the average requirement for healthy adults is 0.66 grams of protein per kilogram body weight while the safe level of protein intake was set at 0.83g/Kg per day. (17)
There is, however, increasing evidence indicating that consuming dietary protein at levels above the current Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 0.8g/kg may be beneficial for children, adults, older adults, and physically active individuals. (15)
How To Choose Your Protein Brand
Below is a quick checklist to help you make the right, informed decision before boosting your daily protein intake this new year:
Brand transparency
When choosing a brand for your protein supplementation, transparency about testing and certified quality control practices is important. Here at Nuzest, our manufacturers regularly carry out stringent testing on our peas ensuring that the highest standards of quality, legality and safety are maintained. We also conduct independent laboratory testing to ensure that microbiological standards are maintained, and allergen testing for gluten, dairy and soy are carried out, while pesticides and heavy metals are also tested for.
What’s in your protein?
Always check the product label carefully, as some protein powders can contain high amounts of sugars and harmful additives. The good news is Nuzest’s pea protein is free from fillers, gums, preservatives, processing aids and masking agents.
During processing, nutrients are extracted from the peas in state-of-the-art facilities via a gentle water-based extraction process, using only purified water. Anti-nutrients are removed from the peas, resulting in a highly digestible, low phytate and virtually lectin free quality product. Our pea protein is also naturally hypo-allergenic, free from common allergens including gluten, dairy, nuts and more making it suitable for everyone – find out more here.
To sweeten our product, we use Thaumatin - a protein extracted from the West African Katemfe fruit, in conjunction with natural flavours to stop blood sugars from spiking.
Does your protein powder brand have sustainability practices in place?
Plant-based protein powders have considerably less of an environmental impact compared to other types of protein powders such as whey. Peas are classified as a sustainable crop (14) as they use less land and water than alternatives such as rice, and add vital nutrients like nitrogen back into the soil - so Nuzest’s Clean Lean Protein is not only better for you, but better for the planet.
Here at Nuzest, when our manufacturing process has been completed, all water is recycled and waste is turned into biofuel or animal feed. This makes for not only a clean and highly nutritious product, but also an environmentally friendly protein.
Why choose Clean Lean Protein by Nuzest?
Clean Lean Protein provides the building blocks for vitality, repair, recovery, and muscle growth. The unique formula is suitable for all diets and ages, providing your body with the protein it needs, and nothing it doesn’t.
- Muscle gain and recovery –contains all 9 essential amino acids
- Easy to digest – high absorption with 98% digestibility rating
- No more discomfort – no bloating as it’s lectin free and low in phytates
- Paleo and vegan-friendly – suitable for the whole family
- Allergen-free – free from gluten and soy
- No bad stuff – no fillers, preservatives, additives and nothing artificial
- Tastes great – mixes smoothly and comes in a variety of flavours
So, let’s put the New Year’s resolutions aside, and focus on foundational health for the long term, with simple and sustainable changes that support your body to be at its best.
Happy New Year from Nuzest!
References:
1. How to make lasting New Year’s resolutions [Internet]. University of Minnesota. 2019 [cited 2022 Dec 11]. Available from: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/how-make-lasting-new-years-resolutions
2. Venn BJ. Macronutrients and Human Health for the 21st Century. Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2363. Published 2020 Aug 7. doi:10.3390/nu12082363
3. Chen Y, Michalak M, Agellon LB. Importance of Nutrients and Nutrient Metabolism on Human Health. Yale J Biol Med. 2018;91(2):95-103. Published 2018 Jun 28.
4. Carbone JW, Pasiakos SM. Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):1136. Published 2019 May 22. doi:10.3390/nu11051136
5. Cintineo HP, Arent MA, Antonio J, Arent SM. Effects of Protein Supplementation on Performance and Recovery in Resistance and Endurance Training. Front Nutr. 2018;5:83. Published 2018 Sep 11. doi:10.3389/fnut.2018.00083
6. Ogilvie, A. R., Schlussel, Y., Sukumar, D., Meng, L., & Shapses, S. A. (2022). Higher protein intake during caloric restriction improves diet quality and attenuates loss of lean body mass. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 30(7), 1411–1419. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23428
7. Pasiakos, S. M., McLellan, T. M., & Lieberman, H. R. (2015). The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(1), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0242-2
8. Genaro, P.deS., & Martini, L. A. (2010). Effect of protein intake on bone and muscle mass in the elderly. Nutrition reviews, 68(10), 616–623. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00321.x
9. Kim, J. E., O'Connor, L. E., Sands, L. P., Slebodnik, M. B., & Campbell, W. W. (2016). Effects of dietary protein intake on body composition changes after weight loss in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition reviews, 74(3), 210–224. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuv065
10. Altorf-van der Kuil, W., Engberink, M. F., Brink, E. J., van Baak, M. A., Bakker, S. J., Navis, G., van 't Veer, P., & Geleijnse, J. M. (2010). Dietary protein and blood pressure: a systematic review. PloS one, 5(8), e12102. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0012102
11. Santesso, N., Akl, E. A., Bianchi, M., Mente, A., Mustafa, R., Heels-Ansdell, D., & Schünemann, H. J. (2012). Effects of higher- versus lower-protein diets on health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European journal of clinical nutrition, 66(7), 780–788. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.37
12. Genaro, P.deS., & Martini, L. A. (2010). Effect of protein intake on bone and muscle mass in the elderly. Nutrition reviews, 68(10), 616–623. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00321.x
13. Shah AM, Wang Z, Ma J. Glutamine Metabolism and Its Role in Immunity, a Comprehensive Review [retracted in: Animals (Basel). 2021 Mar 22;11(3):]. Animals (Basel). 2020;10(2):326. Published 2020 Feb 19. doi:10.3390/ani10020326
14. Powers SE, Thavarajah D. Checking Agriculture's Pulse: Field Pea (Pisum Sativum L.), Sustainability, and Phosphorus Use Efficiency. Front Plant Sci. 2019 Nov 15;10:1489. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01489. PMID: 31803218; PMCID: PMC6873872
15. National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian dietary guidelines. Canberra: NHMRC; 2013 Available from: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/n55_australian_dietary_guidelines1.p
16. Lonnie M, Hooker E, Brunstrom JM, et al. Protein for Life: Review of Optimal Protein Intake, Sustainable Dietary Sources and the Effect on Appetite in Ageing Adults. Nutrients. 2018;10(3):360. Published 2018 Mar 16. doi:10.3390/nu10030360
17. Protein is a critical macronutrient that supports reproduction, growth and development [Internet]. Internationalproteinboard.org. [cited 2022 Dec 15]. Available from: https://www.internationalproteinboard.org/protein-matters/protein-requirements.htm